Ranking 30 teams is always tough and I'm sure everyone will disagree with at least 1 placement. The good thing for me is that as it is so early on in the season the rankings are a bit easier to do. The tiers are essentially unbeaten teams, teams with winnings records, .500 teams, sub .500 teams and teams without a win.
1. Denver Nuggets
I have the Nuggets in 1st place due to their 4-0 record including a win against the Warriors. They are 1 of only 2 teams to be holding opponents to under 100 ppg. I know what you're thinking, how are the Nuggets winning games because of their defence. Crazy right? With Jokic averaging 23/10/7 on excellent shooting splits, the Nuggets potential is looking like it is becoming a reality.
2. Toronto Raptors
The only other team to start 4-0 along with the Nuggets are the Raptors. Kawhi Leonard has slotted in perfectly to this team and is playing at a level that saw him compete for the MVP 2 seasons ago. Their standout victory was against their toughest test, the Celtics where they won by double digits. The Raptors look really solid so far and with Serge Ibaka at Center they have 5 good 3 and D players who can switch and cause problems for most teams in the league.
3. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pels have started this season on fire, they blew out the Rockets, dropped 149 on the Kings and a good win in LA v the Clippers. AD has obviously been great and I'm most impressed with his current assist numbers (5.3 compared to a career avg 1.9). His supporting cast have been excellent so far as well which has helped them stay unbeaten. Nikola Mirotic had 2 30 point games to start the season, Payton is playing similar to how Rondo did last year while Jrue and Julius continue to play great.
4. Detroit Pistons
So...Blake Griffin can still play. I told you so. Last nights win v the Sixers pushed them to 4th place in my rankings. A great win with Blake dropping 50(!!!) against a solid team which followed 2 close wins against the Bulls and Nets. Dwane Casey has added some grit to this team and they have closed a game very well this season. As I have said before Griffin, Drummond and Jackson is a decent big 3 for the eastern conference.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
The last unbeaten team here, the Bucks. They have started the season pretty well and had a good win against the Pacers sandwiched by W's v the Knicks and Hornets. Giannis is always going to be Giannis and similarly to AD his teammates are starting to step up. Middleton is becoming a legit 20 ppg scorer on very efficient splits. Bledsoe is playing his role well and seems comfortable while Brook Lopez is stretching the floor. (P.S. he still cant rebound)
6. Golden State Warriors
Golden State 3-1 record maybe looks better than it actually is. A close win against a Westbrook-less OKC and a tip in game winner by Jonas Jerebko against the Jazz could have both went the other way on a different night. A close loss to the Nuggets where Denver executed very well late game and a routine win v the Suns have evened out their record slightly. Steph Curry is looking great and playing like an MVP again while KD and Klay are struggling to shoot.
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. San Antonio Spurs
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Dallas Mavericks
11. LA Clippers
12. Charlotte Hornets
13. Orlando Magic
14. Boston Celtics
15. Philadelphia 76ers
16. Indiana Pacers
17. Minnesota Timberwolves
18. Washington Wizards
19. Miami Heat
20. Utah Jazz
21. Brooklyn Nets
22. Houston Rockets
23. Atlanta Hawks
24. Phoenix Suns
25. Sacramento Kings
26. New York Knicks
27. Los Angeles Lakers
28. Chicago Bulls
29. Oklahoma City Thunder
30. Cleveland Cavaliers